• Defence Notes

  Opinion: Fate of the Littoral Strike Ship inextricably linked to fortunes of minister

  9th April 2019

  April Fools’ Day is not traditionally regarded as an auspicious day to make serious announcements to the media. But in keeping with his reputation as …

• Defence Helicopter

  Boeing pushes forward with Defiant

  20th May 2019

  Boeing plans to operate the push propulsor on its Defiant SB>1 coaxial helicopter this year after completing the first flight into hover in Q1 2019. …

• Naval Warfare

  Keel laid for first Arafura-class OPV

  13th May 2019

  The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) has laid the keel for its first Arafura-class offshore patrol vessel (OPV), the Arafura, at the Osborne Naval Shipyard in …

• Naval Warfare

  First Philippine frigate launched

  28th May 2019

  The Philippine Navy’s (PN) most modern warship, the future BRP Jose Rizal, was launched in Ulsan by Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) before a high-ranking PN …

• Training

  Dark Blade 2019 kicks off in Czech Republic

  16th May 2019

  The European Defence Agency (EDA) has kicked off the Dark Blade 2019 helicopter exercise at Náměšť airbase in Czech Republic, the agency announced on 13 …

• Defence Notes

  Japan finds parts of crashed F-35 fighter jet

  7th May 2019

  Japan said on 7 May that it had recovered some debris from a stealth fighter jet that crashed in April, but was still looking for …

• Military Logistics

  Boeing lists KC-46A success, defends programme

  19th May 2019

  Boeing is pushing ahead despite hiccups in its KC-46A multirole tanker aircraft contract with the USAF and has just delivered another three on top of …

• Digital Battlespace

  EW Europe 2019: Kirintec display EW prowess

  17th May 2019

  The Mercury Blade 5 from Kirintec is the latest version of the company’s vehicle platform for jamming systems, and by the end of 2019 the …

• Defence Notes

  Russia beefing up its Su-25SM3 fleet

  4th April 2019

  The Russian MoD has released a tender with a selected supplier to upgrade Su-25 attack aircraft to the significantly enhanced Su-25SM3 standard for day/night operations, …

• Defence Notes

  Milipol Asia 2019: Security, counterterror markets expand in ASEAN region (video)

  2nd April 2019

  The homeland security and counterterrorism market is transitioning from the US towards Europe and Asia-Pacific. In addition to terrorism and organised crime, cybercrime and UAVs …

• Defence Helicopter

  Bell hits last of JMR-TD key performance targets

  21st May 2019

  Helicopter manufacturer Bell has successfully completed all of the main performance standards associated with its Joint Multi-Role Technology Demonstrator (JMR-TD) flight test efforts, having now demonstrated a …

• Defence Helicopter

  Qatar requests AH-64E Apache helicopters

  13th May 2019

  The US State Department has made a determination approving a potential foreign military sale of AH-64E Apache attack helicopters to Qatar, the Defense Security Cooperation …

• Defence Notes

  Podcast: AUVSI, the naval defence market and Australian UAVs

  3rd May 2019

  Welcome to Episode 15 of The Weekly Defence Podcast. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and more. Sign up to an early email alert of future podcasts here.

• Naval Warfare

  Indian Navy ships participate in Group Sail exercise

  15th May 2019

  Indian Navy ships, Kolkata and Shakti, have carried out a Group Sail exercise with naval ships of Japan, Philippines and the US in the South …

• Digital Battlespace

  Overseas interest sparks MBDA's EW weapon project

  11th April 2019

  In response to foreign interest, development of an EW variant of MBDA's Selective Precision Effects At Range (SPEAR) 3 weapon with jamming capabilities is currently being …

Programme Results - Defence Insight

• Military UAS - micro

  Black Hornet 3 (Ukraine Aid) [UK & Norway]

  Programme Background Russo-Ukraine War Since Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February 2022, UAVs have proved vital to the country's defence. Consequently, as in this programme, the ...

• Military UAS - micro

  FPV Drones (Ukraine Aid) [Netherlands]

  Background Statement of Intent On 14 June 2024, the Deputy Minister for Strategic Industries Serhiy Boyev, Minister of Defence of Ukraine Rustem Umerov and the Minister of ...

• Military UAS - mini

  ISR Drones (Second Batch) (Ukraine Aid) [Netherlands]

  Programme Background First Batch On 20 March 2024, Kajsa Ollongren, Minister of Defence of the Netherlands, announced that, following a 19 March Ukraine Defense Contact ...

• Military UAS - mini

  UAVs (Ukraine Aid) [Norway]

  Background September 2024 On 3 September 2024, the Norwegian government announced that “Ukraine will get more drones donated to their frontline, and more air defence ...

• Military UAS - MALE

  GA-ASI Drone [Ukraine]

  Programme Background MQ-9A Reaper - April 2022 On 13 April 2022, Forbes reported that Ukraine was talking with GA-ASI to acquire the MQ-9A Reaper. Ukrainian officials ...

• Military UAS - mini

  Vector / Scorpion (Contracted) [Ukraine]

  Programme Background Previous Orders & Donations On 29 March 2022, the US Embassy in Warsaw announced that Quantum Systems had donated an unknown quantity of ...

• Loitering munitions

  Switchblade 300 (Ukraine Aid) [US]

  Programme Background Presidential Drawdown (16 March 2022 & 13 April 2022) On 16 March 2022, President Biden announced $800 million in security assistance to Ukraine through ...

• Loitering munitions

  Switchblade 600 (Ukraine Aid) [US]

  Programme Background $300 Million USAI (1 April 2022) On 1 April 2022, the US DoD announced a $300 million military aid package for Ukraine following ...

• Loitering munitions

  One-Way Attack Drones (Ukraine Aid) [UK]

  Programme Background 2024/2025 Military Aid Package On 12 January 2024, the UK government announced it would provide Ukraine with £2.5 billion ($3.2 billion) in military ...

• APCs/IFVs - tracked

  CV90 [Sweden]

  Programme Background As the domestic manufacturer and original operator of the CV90 IFV, Sweden has had a continuous fleet of CV90s in service since the ...

• Military UAS - micro

  Soldier Borne Sensor (SBS) (Phase I) [USA]

  Programme Background Requirement The Soldier Borne Sensor (SBS) provides short-range day and night ISR to US Army units at the squad, platoon and other small ...

• Self-propelled rocket launchers

  HIMARS [Sweden]

  Programme Background Following the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, Sweden began a process of military modernisation, in line with trends across much of Europe.  The ...

• Military UAS - small

  Puma 3 AE (Ukraine Aid) [US]

  Programme Background Military Aid - $300 Million On 1 April 2022, the US DoD announced a $300 million military aid package for Ukraine to "bolster Urkaine's capacity ...

• Military UAS - micro

  5,000 Latvian UAVs (Ukraine Aid) [Latvia]

  Background Ukrainian Defence Contact Group (UDCG) In January 2024, the Ukrainian Defence Contact Group (UDCG), a multi-nation organisation that coordinates military aid for Ukraine, established a drone ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  Larger UAVs [Estonia]

  Background 2026-2029 Defence Investment On 30 July 2025, the Republic of Estonia’s Minister of Defence, Hanno Pevkur, announced the approval of a development plan allocating more ...

Equipment Results - Defence Insight

• Surface-to-air missiles

  Akash-NG missile

  The Akash-NG (New Generation) missile is an advanced surface-to-air missile system developed by India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to enhance the country's air ...

• Core systems: cameras and IR detectors

  Ophir 26-105mm f/1.6 LWIR continuous zoom

  Ophir's plethora of IR optics includes a wide range of long-range zoom lenses for every application. Ophir's budget range has been extended to include a ...

• Military UAS - micro

  Vespa-15

  The Vespa-15 is a first-person view (FPV) rotary-wing UAV manufactured by a Ukrainian company.  In May 2025, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) of Ukraine announced it ...

• Military UAS - micro

  Black Hornet 3

  The Black Hornet 3 is the next generation of the PD-100 Black Hornet, the world’s smallest nano-UAS. This new model of the Black Hornet provides ...

• Military UAS - small

  Kazhan

  The E620 Kazhan is a Ukrainian-made rotary-wing attack drone. It is available in hexacopter and quadcopter configurations and can drop 60mm, 82mm, and 120mm mortar shells. ...

• Unguided Tank Ammunition

  DM73

  The 120mm × 570 armour-piercing fin-stabilised discarding sabot (APFSDS) DM73 is a kinetic-energy (KE) round with an enhanced propulsion unit. It is produced by Rheinmetall ...

• Military UAS - mini

  Cetus Lite

  The Cetus Lite is a fixed-wing UAV from Abris Design Group. The company describes the aircraft as a mobile system that is hand-launched. It is ...

• Military UAS - mini

  Cetus Plus

  The Cetus Plus is a fixed-wing UAV from Abris Design Group.  The manufacturer describes it as a universal UAV designed to perform various tasks like photo ...

• Military UAS - tactical

  Beetle

  The Beetle is a rotary-wing octocopter from Abris Design Group. According to the manufacturer, the UAV provides photo and video ISTAR and signal relay for first-person ...

• Military UAS - mini

  Linza 3.0

  The Linza 3.0 is a rotary-wing UAV from Quantum Frontline Industries (QFI), a German-Ukrainian joint venture from Quantum Systems and Frontline Robotics. The UAV was first delivered ...

• Loitering munitions

  Anubis

  The Anubis is a medium-range loitering munition designed to destroy enemy equipment and strategic targets. Designed and produced by Airlogix, the Auterion Airlogix Joint Venture ...

• Fast attack/patrol craft and interceptors

  CB90

  Combatboat (Stridsbåt) 90 (CB90) is a class of small, rapid attack boats designed for raiding and inshore/nearshore coastal protection operations or deploying up to 20 ...

• EO/IR systems

  USG-212

  Described as a plug-and-play turnkey solution, the USG-212 is an EO/IR camera gimbal from Ukrspecsystems. It appears to be out of production. The gimbal has ...

• Main battle tanks

  Type 10

  Mitsubishi developed the 120mm-armed Type 10 MBT to meet the requirements of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) and publicly revealed a prototype in February 2008. ...

• Military UAS - small

  P550

  Designed by AeroVironment, the P550 is a fixed-wing UAV that can host reconnaissance, EW or offensive payloads. In an April 2024 statement, AeroVironment stated that ...